Holdback.



J. CLAYTON.

HOLDBAGK.

25, 1910. 1,073,028. Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

tinrr JOY CLAYTON, OF STOTTS CITY, MISSOURI.

nominees.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sephfi, 1913.

Application filed April 25, 1910. Serial No. 557,484.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOY CLAYTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stotts City, in the county of Lawrence and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Holdback, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved construction of hold back for vehicle thills and the invention aims primarily to provide a holdback which may be applied to any ordinary thill and may be adjusted to any desired position thereon.

At present, such devices are in the nature of strap loops which are secured permanently to the thills but which present the disadvantage of soon becoming rotted and broken, and the invention therefore aims primarily to provide a holdback for thills which will not be noticeably aliected by the elements and with which theholdback straps of the harness may be readily connected.

Briefly stated, the device embodying the present invention is in the nature of a sleeve which is fitted upon the thill and is held in adjustment thereon by a set screw engaging through the sleeve and impinging against the thill and a ring which is carried by the said sleeve and with which may be engaged a snap hook carried by the harness holdback strap and while one form of the invention contemplates the employment of but a single ring upon the sleeve, another form of the invention embodies two rings with one of which rings is to be connected a branch strap from the girth so that not only will the device serve as an attachment for the holdback strap of the harness, but also, the thills will be held in proper position with respect to the draft animal.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of the device applied to a vehicle thill. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View through the device and the thill.

In the drawings, the thill is indicated by the numeral 5 and there is also illustrated V in the drawings a holdback strap which is is threaded through the upper side of the sleeve and impinges against, or may,if desired, bite into the thill 5 whereby to hold i the. sleeve at the proper adjustment upon the thill. The holdback "strap .(3 is provided with a snap hook 10 which may be snapped into one of a pair of rings carried by the sleeve.

Thering mentioned is indicated by the numeral 11, whereas the other ring of the pair is indicated by the numeral 12 and both of these rings are loosely engaged through openings 13 formed in a reinforcing flange 14 which is integral with the sleeve and projects inwardly laterally therefrom. The strap 7 heretofore mentioned is provided also with a snap hook which is indicated by the numeral 15 and is detachably engaged with the ring 12 which is the forward one of the two rings when the device is in proper position upon the thill. V fith this form of the device properly applied and positioned upon the thill, the hcldback straps of the harness may be readily connected to and disconnected from the rings 11 and in a like manner, the straps 7 may be readily disconnected from the rings 12, it being understood that the said straps 6 perform their usual function while the straps 7 serve to hold the thills in proper position with respect to the draft animal and the harness which is connected to them. As the weakest point in a thill is where the harness is attached thereto, it will be apparent that the sleeve 8 constitutes an eflicient reinforce at that point and the sleeve, in turn, is reinforced by the flange 14:. As the sleeve is fastened to the thill by the set screw 9, it cannot pull oil of the thill should the swingletree become broken. Under these conditions the attachment can be used in pulling a vehicle uphill, thus preventing accidents such as often occur when swingletrees break when carriages are movin upgrade. By using this attachment it is not necessary to wrap any straps of the harness about the thill or to use buckles or the like. Instead, it is merely necessary to snap the hooks 10 and 15 into engagement with the rings 11 and 12.

The fact will be readily appreciated that by the employment of this device, not only will the frequent substitution of new holdback straps upon the thills be obviated but also, the holdback connection to the thills may beadjusted-by the adjustment of the device so that the connection between the harness and the thills may be varied according to the size of the harness.

What is claimed'is: A harness attachment comprising a metallic sleeve, means adapted to hold said be connected to the harness holdback, and

with" a girth branch strap to "thereby provide a holclback and to hold the vehicle thills in spaced relation with respect to the draft animals. 1

'In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOY CLAYTON.

Witnesses: EMERY HILL, ALvIA HILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. '0.

- COmmIS SIOIIeI of Patents, 

